My Lifesong: ANOTHER birthday celebration

Monday, July 16, 2012

ANOTHER birthday celebration

Last weekend, on the 8^th of July, we had our family celebration for June birthdays… I guess that just goes to show how hard it is to get us all together!

In our family, Trent, my sister, Kellsey, and I all have birthdays within one week. And Jared has his half birthday, too, but that doesn’t really count. =) So each year, we get together with our grandparents, aunts and uncles, and cousins to celebrate.

On that Sunday, we all got to town in time to go to church together and then headed out to my parents to start the celebration. My dad grilled pork burgers and hot dogs and we had pigs in a blanket, cheesy potatoes, vegetable casserole, layered lettuce salad, strawberry jello salad, and many other things. It truly was a bountiful meal! My mom really knows how to throw our family a party and her along with my grandma and aunt sure know how to feed us all!

After lunch we all hung out and chatted for a while. My cousin, Alex, is in a phase of solving a Rubik’s cube, so he showed us all how fast he can do it and I even completed it one time. I could get one side by myself but then he had to help me through the rest of it. There was a day when I could do it all by memory, but that was years ago =)

Then, my Grandpa Kock came with some sort of fire cracker things. These weren’t any normal firecrackers. (Sorry, Grandpa, I don't remember what they were called.) They were little canisters with explosive stuff in them that would blow up when you would shoot them... So Alex put them out a ways away from the house on a mound of dirt in the fenced in area for the cows (there weren't any cows around there) and Alex, Trent, and Jared took turns shooting them. It was kind of humorous looking at us all standing out on the deck watching them shoot these things. Both the gun and the firecracker deals were really quite loud. They were pretty cool, though!

Alex getting set up to shoot.

You can't see them, but the little canisters are
sitting out on that mound of dirt.

Trent's turn with Grandpa Kock and Grandpa Jons
and my dad watching.

The smoke that comes off after one blows up

After all the festivities outside with the shooting and stuff it was time to eat some cake and ice cream and open gifts. Since we were having the party so late, we all pretty much had received most of our cards and gifts from everyone. There were still a couple to open, though.

You might be thinking that it's kind of crazy for a 28 year old and a 25 year old (and now Trent too) to still have a birthday party every year, and you're probably right. But I think more and more each year, it's less about the birthdays (we didn't even sing "Happy Birthday" this year, I don't think) and more about just another excuse to get together with our family. Even though they do make us feel pretty special and all that since is IS our party. :) I'm just thankful that so many of our family members live close together and will take time out of their day to come celebrate with us still after ALL THESE YEARS!! We really do have an amazing family!

Trent, Kellsey, and I with our cake.
Grandma's famous cake, I should say!

Kellsey modeling her new pool accessories.

Everyone enjoying cake and ice cream

For the first time, Mattie go to come enjoy the celebration. Even though being in new places that she's not used to is a little stressful for her, I think she got plenty of loving from everyone to make it worth the trip. She just needed a good nap afterwards!